4 Home Design Trends to Try in 2017

4 Home Design Trends to Try in 2017

4 Home Design Trends to Try in 20172017-01-022016-12-13http://phw-homes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/SUBPAGE-HEAD-LOGO.pngPHW Homeshttp://phw-homes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/16-12_article2-fi_edit.png200px200px

America is making the shift from an interior design that is just good looking to an interior design that is good looking, functional and easy to maintain. Homeowners and buyers are designing homes for easy living, entertaining and comfort, and you can see this in the emerging trends for 2017. Here are four we think you will love.

1. Carefully Designed Kitchens

Whether it’s a brand new home or a remodel, the kitchen is where the heartbeat of the action is. Popular food and cooking channels may be responsible for this trend, but the kitchen has become more like the family room. For this reason, kitchen designs are being drafted with the idea that multiple people will be using it at the same time and for different purposes.

Workhorse islands with stools serve as multi-tasking areas as prep stations, eating areas, homework desks and bar tops. Deep drawers conveniently store kitchen tools out of the way including pots, pans, appliances, utensils and even dinnerware. If room permits, coolers specifically for wine are installed to be “guest ready.” All of these features make life in the kitchen a breeze. Consider incorporating them into your custom home’s kitchen and see how they transform your routines.

2. Universal Design

Universal Design focuses on creating spaces that are safe and accessible for every age, size and physical ability. These additions are usually not noticed but make the home friendlier and more marketable. Universal Design trends include wider doorways and hallways that create more spacious, open areas and special details.

Other options to consider are using pulls rather than knobs for the home’s cabinets and drawers, installing different heights of kitchen countertops so parents and children can easily cook together, and avoiding different floor heights. Selecting under the counter refrigerator doors, elevated dishwashers and bathroom vanities can help accommodate family members and visitors in wheelchairs. When building your custom home, think about ways you can incorporate these elements into your home.

3. Grand Entrances

First impressions are key in welcoming guests into your home. Designers are integrating creative looks into the landscape (plants and foliage) hardscapes (walls, walkways, paths) and entryways (porches, patios) to help achieve the perfect first impression. This curb appeal is then continued throughout the entryway and inside foyers, creating a “grand entrance” extending from the outside in. If you’ve planned a large foyer for your home, you’re ahead of the game.

4. Healthy “Green” Living Environment

“Going green” is a phrase we hear all the time now. But this doesn’t just apply to one’s lifestyle, it applies to home design, too. Home builders working on new builds and renovations are adding solar panels and sunrooms for heat, keeping mature trees intact for shade in the summer, and using materials like nontoxic paints and floor coverings that are eco-friendly and omit less pollution.

But there are also ways we can create a healthy living environment with or without renovating. Simple habit shifts like opening the curtains to let the warm sun in, swapping incandescent bulbs for LED and CFLs, turning off the lights when you leave a room and fixing leaks can make a big difference. These small changes will keep your family healthy, save you money and help the planet!

Contact the professionals at PHW Homes for more information about what is trending today and how you can bring these ideas to life in a custom home of your own.